Composite liquid agent package and method for manufacturing same, and kit for preparing multicomponent liquid composition using the composite liquid agent package and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

A composite liquid agent package containing a first pouch filled with a first liquid and a second pouch filled with a second liquid; and a kit for preparing a multicomponent composition, the kit including an outer bag housing the composite liquid agent package. With an opposite end section of the first pouch and an opposite end section of the second pouch being superposed, the superposed parts are heated and pressurized to exclude sealants, which are present within the opposite end sections, outwardly of the extremities of the outer layers of the opposite end sections, while heat-fusing the two extruded sealants together to join the two pouches.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A composite liquid agent package comprising a plurality of liquid agent housing portions and a binding portion, all of the plurality of liquid agent housing portions being bound together by the binding portion for integration, wherein
 each of the plurality of liquid agent housing portions includes 
 a pouch constituted by a heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet including at least an inner layer composed of a sealant and an outer layer composed of a sheathing material, the pouch having one end section and an opposite end section which are sealed sections formed by heat-sealing ends of the heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet; and 
 a liquid agent held within the pouch airtightly and liquidtightly, 
 the one end section is sealed so that it can be opened by applying a pressing force on the liquid agent filled in the pouch, 
 the liquid agents held in the plurality of liquid agent housing portions are the same with or different from each other, and 
 at an extremity of each of the opposite end sections of the plurality of liquid agent housing portions, a part of the sealant constituting the inner layer of the heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet constituting the liquid agent housing portion is extended outwardly of an extremity of the outer layer while keeping integral with a remaining part of the sealant to form an extended-out sealant, and the extended-out sealants are fusion-bonded together and integrated thereby to form a fused sealant, which constitutes the binding portion or a main part thereof. 
 
     
     
       2. The composite liquid agent package according to  claim 1 , adapted to store constituent components of a multicomponent liquid composition, which exhibits a predetermined function, integrally in separate packages containing two or more liquid agents, respectively. 
     
     
       3. The composite liquid agent package according to  claim 2 , wherein the multicomponent liquid composition is a dental adhesive composition. 
     
     
       4. The composite liquid agent package according to  claim 1 , wherein the pouch in each of the plurality of liquid agent housing portions is a pillow flat bag. 
     
     
       5. A method for manufacturing the composite liquid agent package according to  claim 4 , wherein the pillow flat bag comprises a lower end side heat-sealed section as the one end section, an upper end side heat-sealed section as the opposite end section and a back sealed section on a back surface of the pillow flat bap, and
 the method comprises: 
 providing the plurality of liquid agent housing portions by:
 continuously forming a tube with the heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet while continuously supplying the heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet; 
 heat-sealing both side ends of the heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet along a flow direction in which the heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet is supplied, to form the back sealed section, thereby forming a tubular body; 
 heat-sealing the tubular body in a direction orthogonal to the flow direction to form the lower end side heat-sealed section; 
 filling the liquid agent into the tubular body closed at the lower end side heat-sealed section; 
 after paying out the tubular body filled with the liquid agent by a predetermined length, heat-sealing the tubular body filled with the liquid agent again in the direction orthogonal to the flow direction to form the upper end side heat-sealed section; and 
 cutting off the pillow flat bag holding the liquid agent airtightly and liquidtightly; and then 
 
 joining the plurality of liquid agent housing portions by superposing all of the opposite end sections of the plurality of liquid agent housing portions, and heating and pressurizing superposed regions of all the opposite end sections overlapping, to extrude a part of the sealant, which constitutes the inner layer in the superposed region of each of the opposite end sections, outwardly from an extremity of the outer layer of each of the opposite end sections, while fusion-bonding together extended-out sealants formed from the extruded part of the sealant. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein
 in providing the liquid agent housing portions, protrusions and depressions are provided in the upper end side heat-sealed section serving as the opposite end section, and
 a thickness of the sealant in each of the protrusions is larger than a thickness of the inner layer of the heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The composite liquid agent package according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a penetrating opening is formed in the opposite end section of each of the plurality of liquid agent housing portions, and 
 each of the extended-out sealants fusion-bonded together in the binding portion includes the sealant extended out from a peripheral edge of the penetrating opening formed in the opposite end section of each of the plurality of liquid agent housing portions toward an interior of the penetrating opening. 
 
     
     
       8. A kit for storing constituent components of a multicomponent liquid composition, which exhibits a predetermined function, in separate packages containing two or more liquid agents, respectively, and for mixing, when in use, the liquid agents divided into the separate packages to prepare the multicomponent liquid composition,
 the kit including the composite liquid agent package according to  claim 2 , and an outer bag for fixing the composite liquid agent package inside and housing it airtightly, 
 wherein the outer bag has a liquid reservoir space capable of holding all the liquid agents, which flow out when the liquid agents held in the liquid agent housing portions of the composite liquid agent package fixed and housed inside are flowed out from the one end sections of the liquid agent housing portions by application of a pressing force to the liquid agents, without bringing the liquid agents into contact with the composite liquid agent package. 
 
     
     
       9. The kit according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the outer bag is constituted by a heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet including at least an inner layer comprising a sealant and an outer layer comprising a sheathing material, and 
 fixing of the composite liquid agent package to an interior of the outer bag is performed at a site of fusion bonding where the sealant constituting the inner layer of the outer bag and the sealant integrated in the binding portion in the composite liquid agent package are fusion-bonded together. 
 
     
     
       10. The kit according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the pouch in each of the liquid agent housing portions of the composite liquid agent package is a pillow flat bag, 
 the outer bag is a pillow flat bag having an upper end sealed section, a lower end sealed section, and an outer bag back sealed section formed by heat sealing at an upper end section, a lower end section, and a back thereof, respectively, 
 a width of the pillow flat bag constituting the outer bag is larger by a predetermined length than a width of the pillow flat bag constituting the pouch in each of the liquid agent housing portions, 
 fixing of the composite liquid agent package to the interior of the outer bag is performed such that the site of fusion bonding is disposed, with one side end of the pillow flat bag constituting each of the pouches of the composite liquid agent package being parallel, at a predetermined space interval, to a side end, on a same side, of the pillow flat bag constituting the outer bag, in the upper end sealed section of the outer bag; and that a simple sealed section, where the sealant constituting the inner layer of the outer bag are fusion-bonded together, is formed in a region beside at least one side end of the upper end sealed section, 
 a front wall and a back wall, which face each other, of the pillow flat bag constituting the outer bag are formed with (1) a first weakened line starting at a starting point located near an upper end edge of the simple sealed section of the upper end sealed section, and ending at an ending point located close to an upper part of a side end edge beside the simple sealed section in the outer bag; (2) a second weakened line starting at a starting point located near the upper end edge of the simple sealed section of the upper end sealed section, and ending at an ending point located close to the upper part of the side end edge on an opposite side of the simple sealed section in the outer bag; or (3) a third weakened line starting at a starting point located close to the upper part of the side end edge on one side, and ending at an ending point located close to the upper part of the side end edge on an opposite side, and 
 the first weakened line, the second weakened line or the third weakened line is broken to remove a part above the first weakened line, the second weakened line or the third weakened line in the outer bag, whereby an applicator insertion opening is formed. 
 
     
     
       11. The kit according to  claim 10 , wherein
 each of the front wall and the back wall is formed with two of the first weakened lines (1) or two of the second weakened lines(2), and 
 the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the front wall merge the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the back wall at or vicinity of the ending points of the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the front wall and the ending points of the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the back wall. 
 
     
     
       12. The kit according to  claim 10 , wherein
 each of the front wall and the back wall is formed with two of the first weakened lines (1) or two of the second weakened lines(2), and 
 auxiliary weakened lines connecting the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the front wall to the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the back wall are formed vicinity of the ending points of the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the front wall and the ending points of the two of the first weakened lines or the two of the second weakened lines on the back wall. 
 
     
     
       13. The kit according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the second weakened line (2) or the third weakened line (3) is formed, and 
 when the second weakened line or the third weakened line is broken to remove the part above the second weakened line or the third weakened line, a remaining part of the composite liquid agent package which remains after outflow of the liquid agents is removed together with the part above the second weakened line or the third weakened line in the outer bag. 
 
     
     
       14. The kit according to  claim 8 , wherein
 a volume of a space between the outer bag and the composite liquid agent package is 1 to 70% of a maximum volume of the space. 
 
     
     
       15. A method for manufacturing the kit according to  claim 10 , comprising
 a temporary fixing step of placing a strip-shaped base material, which comprises a heat-sealable laminated film or heat-sealable laminated sheet including at least an inner layer composed of a sealant and an outer layer composed of a sheathing material, such that the inner layer becomes an upper surface, arranging a plurality of the composite liquid agent packages on the upper surface, at predetermined space intervals in a longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped base material, at a widthwise center or at nearly the widthwise center of the strip-shaped base material such that the opposite end sections of the pouches in the liquid agent housing portions of the composite liquid agent package are orthogonal to a length direction of the strip-shaped base material, and temporarily fixing the packages; 
 a tubulation step of heat-sealing both side end section regions of the strip-shaped base material, which has the plurality of composite liquid agent packages temporarily fixed thereto at the predetermined space intervals as a result of the temporary fixing step, in such a manner as to be parallel to the length direction, thereby joining them together to obtain a tubular body having the composite liquid agent packages arranged and temporarily fixed inside at the predetermined space intervals; and 
 a bag shape formation step of heat-sealing a part, between the composite liquid agent packages temporarily fixed adjacent to each other, of the tubular body obtained in the tubulation step in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, thereby joining the part, and cutting a center or nearly the center of the joined part in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction to obtain a pillow flat bag housing the single composite liquid agent package, 
 the method further comprising 
 fusion bonding an integrated fused sealant in the binding portion of the temporarily fixed composite liquid agent package, and the sealant constituting the inner layer of the strip-shaped base material to each other, during heat sealing in the bag shape formation step. 
 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising
 a weakened line formation step of irradiating a predetermined position of the strip-shaped base material with a laser beam, thereby reducing a thickness of the strip-shaped base material to form the first weakened line, the second weakened line or the third weakened line, prior to the bag shape formation step.